Previous Story: 66. The Purge Script - Part 5 (Post-Mortem)

Mayor Paris Ng was beginning to relax. Two weeks had passed since the avian flu pandemic had struck San Lazaro and, although challenging, the situation had been kept under control. The citizens were following lockdown procedures and media coverage had generally remained positive. Such outbreaks occurred from time to time, and Mayor Ng felt that her administration had coped effectively.

So, she was surprised by a visit from a high-ranking FBI officer named Emmett Clyne. He insisted that they meet immediately, and Mayor Ng welcomed him into her office.

“Can I get you a coffee?”

“No thank you,” said Clyne, a stern, well-dressed man in his 50s. “I’m afraid this is an urgent and very important matter.”

“Please go on,” said Mayor Ng, as they sat on opposite sides of her desk.

‘Under federal mandate, you will have to immediately evacuate all elected officials. Additionally, you must evacuate as many law enforcement officers, National Guard personnel, medical staff and military reservists as is logistically possible.’

The mayor couldn’t believe what she was hearing. 

“Is the situation that bad, Agent Clyne? What you’re describing seems very extreme. I was under the impression that the shelter-in-place measures and other procedures were working. They’ve certainly been effective in the Asian countries I’ve be-”

Clyne interrupted her. 

“Mayor, recent developments have led to certain … policy changes. The federal government will provide a full explanation as soon as possible. I suggest you start notifying your staff.”

The mayor considered the report she had read twice that morning. 

“Is this connected to the CyMS?”

Clyne’s pale eyes narrowed. 

“I cannot elaborate any further at this time.”

The agent stood up. 

“Don’t hesitate to contact my office if you need further information or assistance.”

Though there were dozens of questions running through her mind, the mayor said nothing as Clyne departed. She first called her secretary and asked her to convene all senior staff for a holo conference call in 10 minutes. Then, she called home.

‘Jeremy, pack a bag each for us and the kids. I’ll explain later.’

—————

Lt. Marty “Buck” McDonnell of the San Lazaro Police Department was in charge of the Church District Station. The last two weeks had been exceptionally busy, with his officers enforcing the lockdown while also protecting themselves. There was one upside, however — crime in his area was down almost 60%.

He was collating the latest figures when Luksukhon “Pai” Tongsukum appeared outside his office. The FBI agent had been assigned to his station for several months to assist with a major cybercrime case. Buck didn’t always get on well with feds, but he found Pai both approachable and capable. When she knocked on the window, he beckoned for her to enter.

“Morning, Pai. What can I do for you?”

She walked in, a grave expression on her face. As usual, she wore a pendant around her neck (apparently a symbol of her Thai heritage) and an advanced computer implant on her wrist. 

‘Orders from the Bureau. Federal mandate. We have to get everyone out, Buck. All your officers, plus immediate family.’

Buck had long been relieved that his wife and son had already left. They were staying with her sister on the central coast.

“What?”

“By midnight, at the latest.”

Buck could think of only one explanation: the recent incidents of attacks by civilians who were behaving strangely. He still wasn’t sure of the origin of the name people were using in SL

“This is about the CyMS, right?”

“No comment.”

—————

Ten hours later, Buck found himself in a packed Republic Square. He had called his wife, then spent most of his time closing down the station and helping those under his command. Republic Square had been designated as the rallying point for the evacuation, but additional information seemed hard to come by. He was searching for a senior officer when he ran into Mayor Ng. Buck had met her the previous year while receiving a commendation.

“Hi, Mayor Ng.”

“Hello, Officer …”

“McDonnell. We’ve met, but I guess you meet hundreds of people every week.”

“True,” said the mayor, her face tight with tension. “And many of them are here.”

There were people — many of them uniformed — in every direction, all illuminated by the myriad colors of the Republic Square advertising screens.

“How are you doing?” asked Buck. He was surprised by the candor of the response.

“Honestly, I’m worried. The government hasn't been very open with me about exactly what’s going on.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. I figure it’s more about these CyMS than the pandemic.”

“Agreed. What concerns me most is how far they’re willing to go to contain and eliminate this problem.” 

At that moment, one of the mayor’s aides appeared and ushered her away. Buck was left alone with his thoughts, despite the crowd that surrounded him.

This feels wrong. There’s not one officer left back at the station. We can’t just leave the civilians to face this alone. It’s not right.

Buck used his coms implant to record a message for his wife, then hurried back to where his staff were gathered. He quickly found his most trusted co-worker, Sgt. Lorenzo Echevarria.

“Hey, Sarge, I just sent you a message. Outgoing coms have been unreliable, so make sure Betty gets it, OK?”

“Sure, Buck. What are you doing?”

“I’ve got to stay, Lorenzo. Somebody has to stay.”

—————

He was halfway back to the station when he heard someone call his name. Turning around, he was shocked to see Pai running towards him, a large pack on her back.

“You forget something, Buck?”

“No. You?”

The diminutive agent shook her head. 

“Figured I could do more good inside the city than outside.”

“Well, well. Great minds do think alike.”

Pai grinned, and the pair continued on their way to the Church District. Above them, countless helicopters buzzed. Buck hoped all his people got out safely.

“Lucky for you I have the station key card,” he said.

“You’re kidding, right?” replied Pai. “I can get through your antiquated security system in under a minute. With both hands tied behind my back. And my eyes closed.”

Next Story: 68. The Rampage